Prayer Anoint

My childhood home was in the woods. My grandparents came to the United States from Italy and cultivated 6 acres of land with fruit trees, flowers, vegetable gardens, fish ponds, chickens and a goat named Sicily. This is where I grew up, and it seemed natural that everything was connected. I adored nature and had intimate relationships with the plants, trees, rocks and water.

My father built our living room wing around a huge tulip tree. The space between the tree and the house was insulated with foam, allowing the tree to move with the wind. It became my oracle, and I interpreted its movement as guidance and omen.

It too was natural that there was an invisible connection between everything. It was the soul of the plant and natural world. The closet sense perception of this invisible world was picked up on the air as fragrance, which for me was a language as loud as words. The sweet smell of the roses, fruits and evergreens brightened my mood and nourished me on a subtle level.

I credit my good health today to growing up in nature, playing in the dirt, and spending summer evenings lying on the earth, gazing up at the stars.

Meeting my soul sister, Christa Obuchowski, was like coming home. Christa is an herbalist, distiller, perfumer, and educator who travels the world studying and collecting the finest quality herbs, essential oils, and extracts. I am truly blessed to collaborate with her on the blending of my breast massage oil and the Prayer Anoint.

The use of plant essences and scented oils to introduce a divine influence or presence is recorded from the earliest times. Anointing was used as a form of medicine, thought to rid persons of dangerous spirits which were believed to cause disease.

Anointing is a ceremonial blessing, regarded as a tool to assist with health and comfort, a token of honor and a symbol of consecration.

Anointing inspires ceremonies, rites of passage, rituals, and transitions such as birth and death.

Prayer Anoint’ is meditative, expansive and balancing. Its main ingredients, Frankincense, Black Copal, Sandalwood and White Lotus, are in a base of organic Jojoba oil.

Frankincense

Frankincense has been used since the beginning of recorded history. It is depicted in murals on temple walls in Egypt dating back thousands of years.

It is one of the consecrated substances described in the Hebrew Bible and it is believed that gold, frankincense and myrrh were among the gifts to Jesus by the biblical magi.

Christian and Islamic Abrahamic faiths have all used frankincense mixed with oils to anoint newborn infants, initiates and members entering into new phases of their spiritual lives.

When burnt it emits a fragrant odor, and the incense was a symbol of the Divine name and an emblem of prayer.

Sandalwood

Sandalwood is believed to transform one’s desires and maintain a person’s alertness while in meditation. In Hinduism and Ayurveda, the traditional Hindu system of medicine, Sandalwood is thought to bring one closer to the divine. Thus, it is one of the most holy elements in Hindu and Vedic societies.

Black Copal

Black Copal is used for cleansing, creating balance and clarity, and bringing protection. Black Copal has historically been used by indigenous cultures in Central and South America. It is offered to deities as a type of “food for the gods” in ceremonies and rituals. It removes negative elements and assists with the letting go of what is not aligned with one’s highest purpose.

White Lotus

With its roots in the mud, the White Lotus flower opens to the heavens, releasing its divine fragrance into the air. The ancient Egyptians extracted perfume from this flower. They used the White Lotus in funerary garlands and temple offerings. The White Lotus is sacred in Ayurvedic practice as it brings the mind to stillness, meditation and prayer. It expands and balances and is a symbol of purity and enlightenment.

Prayer Anoint is an ally to honor your prayer, meditation, ritual, or sacred space in whatever form any of them may take. Scent opens us to worlds of beauty and wisdom.

I recommend anointing your wrist and inhaling the fragrance. Close your eyes and be in communion. You can anoint the third eye and chakras, the feet, or any part of the body you would like to bless.